Chapter Text
"Boy," The lord's voice rings out through the room like a haunting melody. The butler is instantly at his side. "Which one looks better? The red or the purple?" He asks, weighing the two garments of clothing between his two hands like the world depends on what he chooses.
The butler sighs, "Purple? Why the change in colours?"
His liege rolls his eyes. "Why not? Heavens forbid I want to change," he speaks the words with faux-offense. The servant knows his lord far too well for him to think that the exasperation is nothing but a show.
"I would stick with red. It suits you very well," the butler finally answers. It leaves the man pleased, as he gives the attendant a smile. Not the smile full of malice, but one full of something akin to fondness.
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Oakhurst's decaying remains look at Abolish, as if taunting him. That godforsaken town should have been dealt with long ago. At least it's gone now. He glares at the charred remnants with disdain before continuing with his task. His axe falls down on an unsuspecting lamb, slicing the head clean off. A bit of blood splatters on his suit and he frowns. He’ll have to change that later. Abolish takes a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes away as much blood as he can. The stains will be annoying, but he has more pressing matters to fret about.
He carries the lamb back to the weathered bridge which leads back to his abode. A castle that should have been deserted long ago is what he calls home. It’s spotless, all kept perfectly intact, considering how seriously he takes his job as a butler to be. Despite the idyllic appearance, there is something fundamentally missing from the manor. Halls that should be constantly humming with the buzz of workers, now empty and hollow. It's been far too long since Abolish has had the company of anyone, but he will not dwell on that. He has been waiting and he will stay waiting until the day arrives.
Abolish is patient. Time will not deter him from his loyalties. He knows that soon, his lord will rise and he will be right there at his side. The others might not have been able to wait, but Abolish can. For Abolish is patient.
Part of him wonders why he is so set on staying put here. Maybe it is because of his obligations and his work. Maybe it is because he is disgustingly devoted. Whatever be the reason, he is not too concerned.
The lamb is cleaned off nicely. Almost every part is able to be used in some way. Whatever can't be used goes back to the earth. He shaves the woolen coat off before getting to the flesh and cutting methodically. He tries his absolute best to not waste any valuable meat. It's not like meals are scarce, but Abolish would rather not take any more than he needs.
He keeps the wool for soaking near the river, trying to clean the blood from the fleece. As he hangs it to dry, his eyes catch on small figures moving in the trees. Too large to be wolves, too small to be moose. Human. Or, at the very least, something humanoid. He leaves the fleece quickly and all but runs into the castle.
Abolish darts down the stairs to the crypt. He needs to make sure that his lord is kept safe. By the time he rounds the corner into his liege's resting place, he hears the sound of stone scraping against stone. His legs keep him frozen at the entrance of the tomb as he watches blue hair and an impeccably well-kept suit sit up straight in the coffin.
For a moment, no words are spoken. He stares at his lord and the man smiles back at him.
"You're still here." His sire says, and Abolish cannot help the way his lips quirk up ever so slightly. He hasn't heard that voice in so, so long.
"I would never leave."
He can see the way the lord's smile grows even bigger, twisting into something more venomous by the second. He can see the barely concealed hunger in his eyes, "I feel weak. That horrid town cursed me into this slumber. Oh, when I get my hands on them…" His grin is unsettling.
The butler sighs before walking to the coffin. He puts his hand out and his liege takes it and uses it to get out. "There's fresh blood here," he quickly informs the other, which causes Goldsmith to grin even more.
"Quite the dinner I'll be having." The vampire remarks, smoothing out the wrinkles in his coat. "I wonder how the town's been in these past few years," he continues, as if reminiscing a sweet memory, and not the town that he had tortured for centuries. Abolish is tempted to tell him that Scott isn't the only vampire to tarnish Oakhurst. He decides not to ruin the other's fun. "Come along then, Abolish. We ought to see what all these humans are here for in the first place."
Abolish groans—he does it out of principle, he can't let Scott think that he actually enjoys his presence—as he follows the far too flamboyant head of blue hair out of the crypt, "Yes, sire."
A frosty wind greets them as they stroll over to Oakhurst. Goldsmith looks at the castle and nods in approval. “You've done a fine job at maintaining the castle,” his lord praises.
“Thank you.”
“Though, I do think you could have done a better job at keeping me alive,” he snarks, causing a heavy sigh to leave Abolish. “I'm just saying. If you're such a competent butler, you should've stopped that witch from placing that curse.”
Abolish prays to whatever gods that may be out there for patience as he tries to defend himself, “Sire, you know I could not have done anything. Besides, I got revenge for you. I slayed the whole town on your behalf.”
Goldsmith smiles at him, as if indulging him. “Yes, yes. I'm sure you did. You know I tease.”
The butler simply rolls his eyes.
The path to Oakhurst is desolate, save for the few stray livestock that pass through. The lord looks around the area in amusement, taking in everything that had changed. Unsurprisingly, Oakhurst has remained the same. They walk without talking, which is slightly unnerving for Abolish. While he may enjoy the silence, his liege adores talking. Or, at the very least, he enjoys giving orders and holding power over others.
When Goldsmith is silent, Goldsmith is plotting. Abolish just prays that the mess his sire creates is easy enough for Abolish to fix.
As they get closer to the town, the silence is broken by the noises of people. The butler looks up at the lord and he watches as his smile grows even more. "For your sake, I suggest that you do not out yourself as a vampire," he mumbles, his attention fixed on the way Lord Goldsmith's smile falters the slightest bit.
He scoffs and waves his hand, "I'm not stupid, Abolish!"
"Of course. I would never imply anything of the sort," the butler says, unable to stop the sarcasm from slipping in. Scott rolls his eyes but plasters the pleasant facade on quickly. It's like second nature to him.
The pair enter… whatever is left of the town and spectate the group of strangers who walk around the town in curiosity. "Who are these people?" The lord whispers to Abolish.
"I have no idea." He peers around at the crowd and analyzes everyone he can. Everyone seems to be just as confused as the two of them. The strangers seem to be doing introductions. His sire catches onto that as well, because he waltzs over to a smaller group of people. Abolish is quick to follow.
A boisterous blond man yells at another man in a doctor's robe. "You're the only twisted one here!"
A lady with orange hair stands next to him as he rambles. She seems to be at her wits end, if the creases between her eyebrows are any proof. The man being hollered at raises his hands in defense, trying to placate the other. The lady turns around at the sound of footsteps. She looks at the pair with mild irritation.
"Let me guess, you're also new," Their voice is sharp as they ask the 'question'.
Goldsmith is quick to respond, his pleasant smile plastered on his face once more. "Well, I mean, we were just walking by. So, I suppose," he answers smoothly. "Why? Do you live here?"
"Well, no—"
"I'd be surprised…" His words trail off. Abolish glares at the man, which earns him a look in return. He doesn't speak, but the annoyance on his face is palpable.
The man in the white robes interjects, "No one is from here." The lady nods and says something in agreement but it's drowned out by the sounds of everyone else talking.
"Yeah, no, if someone did live here I would be worried about them," Scott says, his voice surprisingly clear. Or maybe it's just because Abolish is so close to him.
Some more mindless rambling about the state of the town continues, but Abolish's gaze drifts to the tattered building nearby them. Orange — a very bad placeholder name, but a name nonetheless — seems to see what he looks at as well, since they walk over to the building and open the door. Blondie — cliche much? — is just as inquisitive, as he follows after them.
"What's this, then?" His inquiry interrupts whatever conversation Scott was having with the other man, as everyone's attention is drawn towards the strange contraption inside the… tower. Abolish squints his eyes before he recognizes it. It’s the same thing in Goldsmith’s castle.
Buzzcut — Abolish does not concern himself with how these names reflect on his creative skills — asks Blondie if he's well or something along those lines. He isn't listening too intently to their very riveting conversation. His sights are fixed on the thing in the building. It wasn't here in the past 200 hundred years, he knows that much. Somewhere in the conversation with Buzzcut, Blondie earns an actual name, Martyn.
Goldsmith’s head turns slightly to a group of people a few buildings away. "Do you know who the other group over there are?" His hands gesture towards the gathering.
Orange takes that as a personal offense, "They are absolute lunatics. I wouldn't go near them, to be honest." The words are a bit harsh in Abolish's opinion, but for all he knows, they could be completely right. Martyn asks something about the group and that, for some reason, ignites Orange's need to ramble. "One of them's looking for Bigfoot,"
"A big foot?" The lord cuts in. Orange just shrugs. "Are they just searching for people with big feet, or...?"
Another conversation occurs, in which Abolish finds out that Buzzcut is actually a doctor. That makes a lot of sense. A man in a green vest and a lady in brown approach their small group. The man is hollering at the group, his voice is grating but Abolish holds his tongue.
"Oh, oh, what's this!?" He exclaims, darting to the mechanism inside the tower.
Martyn answers him, "We aren’t sure."
"Oh, wait! This is a beacon!" The man yells as he stands by the beacon. His hand touches the contraption and Abolish feels an overwhelming presence of holiness. He hates it.
Goldsmith winces ever so slightly at the feeling, his smile quickly turning into a scowl. The butler is quick to come to his side, eyes darting between the beacon and his lord's discomfort.
More people approach the beacon, all of them touching the glass with interest. The feeling grows stronger, like the numbers fortify the spirits. "Guys, come on and consecrate!" The man calls out, his free hand beckoning the two over.
"You want me to do what!?" Goldsmith says with a cackle, masking his loathing with a skill most would call impressive.
The man in green flushes before he clarifies, "Consecrate! We can make this beacon holy!"
Abolish and his liege share a look before they approach the item. The butler touches the glass and feels the unbearable feeling of divinity consume him. His lord walks into the tower with hesitance. As he enters the vicinity of the beacon, the feeling of holiness leaves. Abolish can't stop the exhale of relief he has.
The group looks amongst each other in confusion. Questions emerge as to why the sanctification stopped. Abolish does everything in his power to stop himself from laughing because the look on Goldsmith's face is all but comical. He looks as if he stepped on something not too kind. Abolish would almost feel bad if he didn't know his liege as an evil, tyrannical, and very malicious man.
"The whole thing stopped because you weren't touching the beacon," Martyn states, but his gaze is accusatory.
Goldsmith rolls his eyes and scoffs, "Cleo removed their hand from the glass as well. Maybe it's because of them." He does his best at deflecting any blame from him. It's something that the lord does very well. Cleo — Abolish realizes that must be Orange — just shrugs.
"He's probably right," she replies before taking a breath and putting her hand on the beacon once more.
"I am not messing with this stuff, I'm leaving!" Goldsmith huffs before turning on his heel and walking away. He turns back to make sure that Abolish is actually following him before he actually moves any further.
"Disgusting," the lord murmurs under his breath, the revulsion on his face is unmistakable. "It's absolutely disgusting. I can't believe what they've done in my absence." He says it as if he helped the town during his time awake. Abolish has worked under Goldsmith for maybe a decade before the lord was put to sleep. He has not seen the cruelness of his liege as a young vampire. The cruelty he has witnessed was already a very cooled down Goldsmith. He cannot tell if he is glad or not for that. His liege keeps speaking, but Abolish isn't fully listening.
They end up meeting the group of people which — according to Cleo — are all lunatics. The pair walk into a brunette talking about being left behind by her family. Abolish and Scott share a look. He can see the way Scott bites back a laugh behind his hand.
"That's a whole lot of trauma to dump onto strangers," Goldsmith's remark is so extremely snarky.
The brunette is momentarily shocked before quickly defending herself, "Well, I just walked over!"
A girl with glasses has a huge smile fixed on her face. "I like it! We feel close already!" She chimes, her voice a bit too cheery for someone who's in a wasteland of a town.
"They're all around some magic beacon thing, you all are talking about your dead families, and I feel like we walked into the wrong town," Goldsmith muses, finding himself chuckling at his own joke. Abolish just rolls his eyes.
"My dad was killed by a werewolf!" The girl with glasses hums, as if they're talking about the weather. Everyone around them turns to face them, their expressions a mix of utter bafflement and amusement.
His liege beckons Abolish closer as he whispers into the butler's ear, "I like her, she's funny."
"Keep her alive if she's funny, then," he retorts, which earns a scoff from the manor lord.
"But I'm hungry, Abolish. As my loyal servant, you should be helping me satiate this hunger."
He already knows where this conversation is going, so he shoots it down quickly, "You will not be drinking from me. Especially not in front of these strangers. Hold your gluttony and hide your fangs lest I stake you."
His lord whines, "So many fancy words, such little fun." The way he acts makes Abolish question if he truly is over a millennium old. "Besides, you would never hurt me!"
Abolish huffs, "You think far too highly of me."
The banter between them is so simple and easy, he almost forgets that they haven't seen each other in six hundred years. Then the holiness washes over Abolish once more. He feels rejuvenated by it. He feels like a child, once again kneeling in the halls of the church. He hates it.
"You mentioned some kind of magic circle thing?" The girl with glasses asks, clearly intrigued.
"Yeah, they're all over there. I don't mess with that kind of stuff," Goldsmith responds, gesturing towards the tower with the beacon. A group of people leave whatever little gathering they had to head towards the beacon, all of them chattering amongst themselves. Then, it's just Scott, Abolish, and two other men. One of them is significantly older than the other. He's got a mustache and eyes that seem to hold tales of many things.
He introduces himself as Renhardt Dogmourne — quite the mouthful but who is Abolish to judge? — and says he comes from the capital.
"Oh, I'm from the capital as well! My name is Pyro and I came to this town to write my thesis for university," the other man states. "I came here to write about the town, the people, and the culture, but now that I'm here I feel like I came to the wrong place."
Goldsmith nods in agreement, “Yeah, I came to this town to see how the common person lives but this is quite… desolate.”
“And who may you be, sir?” Renhardt inquires, looking at the lord with curiosity. It makes sense. Goldsmith has a tendency to stick out like a sore thumb. Whether it be his painfully bright blue hair, or the comically large collar, Scott Goldsmith has always been flamboyant.
“Ah, I'm Scott. I'm a manor lord from a few towns over,” he explains and Abolish nods in agreement. “This is my butler, Abolish.”
The old man seems to sour after finding out about Goldsmith's rank. “I've had bad experiences with lords and the wealthy, but I trust you'll be different.”
He is not better than any of them. In fact, he is probably worse than all of them.
“Well, we best get going and start getting some wood. The sun be setting, don'tcha know.”
Their small group of acquaintances moves to the entrance of Oakhurst, where Abolish sees a very familiar face. He freezes. The other vampire freezes. They both stare at each other like deer in headlights. The vampire blinks his huge brown eyes before continuing whatever conversation he was having previously.
Goldsmith seems to pick up on the confusion because he nudges Abolish and raises a brow. “What's that about?”
“Nothing,” the butler is quick to shut down any question. “Really, there's nothing going on.” Honestly, he should probably tell his lord about the atrocities that man committed. The fact that there is another vampire amongst this new population would be shocking news to inform his lord of. Yet that feels like a huge hassle. If push comes to shove, he'll tell his liege. Right now, though, it just doesn't feel necessary.
He can tell Goldsmith doesn't believe him, but the lord doesn't press any further. He does, however, give the butler a weary look. Goldsmith hates liars. However, Abolish cannot bring himself to say what really happened. At least, not with all these strangers around. He holds his tongue and doesn't speak unless spoken to.